


More Than Just The Game

by benotafraidofwriting



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Boarding School, Crushes, Fluff, Football, Jock Dan, M/M, Nerd Phil, Pining, Slow Burn, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-29 02:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15063374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benotafraidofwriting/pseuds/benotafraidofwriting
Summary: Boarding School AUPhil's just trying to survive the school year. Cue a certain football player who throws everything off.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> I wanted to take a break some the smut for a bit. Not that this fic won't have smut eventually, I just wanted to write something cute.  
> Let me know if you like it!

It was tough to find a more prestigious school than Weston Finishing School for Young Adults. At least, that was the general feeling of everyone who ever heard of it. So, when Phil Lester had gotten his acceptance letter to the academy with a full ride scholarship, Phil’s family had been ecstatic. 

Phil, however, wasn’t sure at first, but quickly adjusted to being away from his family and the rigorous coursework. He even made a few friends, like PJ in videography class and Chris in English Literature.

His problems started the moment he first set eyes on Daniel Howell.

Phil was in his second year at Weston. Unfortunately, graduating required some kind of physical education credit, so Phil had to take General Fitness. It wasn’t so bad. The teacher was pretty laidback and let them do whatever they wanted, as long as it was some kind of exercise. Phil personally chose to walk laps around the track. 

On one particular day, Phil was doing his usual laps, counting down until the 50 minute class ended. In the middle of the circle, a bunch of boys were stretching and warming up.

Phil remembered seeing a notice in his emails about football tryouts being today. He didn’t mind the sport, as long as he wasn’t the one playing it. He just liked watching the players with their short shorts and knee high socks, especially the ones with cute rears just like that one in the middle…

The boy he was checking out suddenly straightened and turned around and suddenly Phil forgot how to breathe.

Tanned skin and toned thighs gave way to a gorgeous face with deep mocha eyes and a matching hair fringe. Sweat made his skin gleam and Phil started fantasizing licking the sweat off while kissing those soft petal pink lips.

Phil snapped out of his daydream when the bell rang out across the field. Damn, he was going to be late for Physics. As he jogged back to the locker room to change, he spared the pretty lad one last look and thought maybe he’s worth being late to class for.

-

The next time he saw the boy was a week later in the school newsletter. Football was kind of a big thing at Weston, so the team usually got a whole, full-colored page that announced the new players. As Phil was thumbing through the letter at breakfast, he nearly choked on his orange juice when he spotted the boy’s grinning face staring back at him. 

“Phil, are you ok?” PJ asked, reaching over to thump the other boy on the back. 

Phil managed to wheeze out some excuse about the juice going down the wrong pipe and got back to examining the paper. 

The boy was posing with his hands on his hips, one foot planted firmly on top of a football as the sun shone behind his head. He looked like an actual angel and Phil glanced at the name on the bottom, tracing the words carefully with a finger. 

_Daniel Howell, Freshman, #11_

So, the boy’s name was Daniel. Phil whispered the name and liked the weight of it on his tongue. 

-

The next time he saw Daniel was the exact same day, in the flesh and in his Trigonometry class. The lad had the audacity to waltz in like he owned the damn place and flash a grin at the teacher, Mrs. Davidson.

“Hello,” Daniel said, and his posh accent made Phil’s insides melt, “I just transferred here and this is my first day of classes. Is this Trigonometry II?”

“Yes, you must be Daniel.” the teacher said as she rifled through her papers.

The boy smiled again. “Oh, I just go by ‘Dan’.”

“Dan.” Mrs. Davidson repeated as she made a note on her attendance sheet. “Right, Dan. The class seems to be full, but I think I see an empty seat back there, next to Mr. Lester.”

At the sound of his name, Phil’s head shot up, heart pounding as he saw Dan staring right at him. Then, he was coming his way and Phil could feel his palms getting sweaty and Dan must surely see how labored Phil’s breathing had gotten. 

By the time Dan was standing in front of him, Phil was pretty sure he was in the throes of a panic attack. 

“Hi, this seat taken?” Dan asked, and good Lord, if his smile was dazzling at a distance, Phil was not ready for the full effect up close and just on him. 

Phil didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just shook his head, turning quickly away so Dan wouldn’t see his blush. 

There was a shuffle as Dan took a seat and Phil wondered how on earth he was going to survive the school year with this perfect being sitting next to him. 

-

During his first year at Weston, Phil made a point not to attend social events. They were too crowded and noisy and always ended up in Phil counting down the seconds until he was back in his dorm room.

This was probably why, when PJ jokingly asked if Phil would like to go to the upcoming football match this weekend, he surprised everyone, including himself, when he said yes.

So, Friday evening, he found himself in the middle of a screaming crowd as the Weston Hydras ran up and down the field. Everyone was focused on the black and white ball, but Phil found his eye drawn to the bench, where a player with a number, ‘11’, on his back was sitting. His back was to the crowd, so all Phil could see was Dan’s last name and number emblazoned on his red uniform. 

Somewhere, a whistle blew. An official looking guy, presumably the coach, gestured to Dan and suddenly, the boy was up and running to join the game on the field. 

Even if Phil hadn’t noticed him before, he would have stared at Dan anyway. The boy was so fluid on the field, every move made him look as if he were made of water. Judging by the sudden chattering around Phil, the crowd had noticed this too. 

Weston ended up losing that night, but Dan had played beautifully, even scoring a goal, and Phil found himself cheering and screaming with the crowd as he did so.

-

The following Monday, Phil knew there was a different energy across campus. Now that everyone knew Dan’s fantastic athleticism, every time Phil saw him he was swarmed by people. A girl in Trig had even offered Dan a seat next to her, which Dan politely declined as he took his usual spot next to Phil. This had caused a warm feeling to start growing in Phil’s chest and he didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. 

-

A couple of weeks passed. Phil went to two more matches and Dan was obviously a rising star and becoming more popular within the school. Phil honestly wasn’t surprised. Dan’s good looks, along with his sportiness, made him a prime candidate for popularity. A group of girls always seemed to be around Dan, laughing and hanging on to his every word. 

-

“Alright, everyone.” Mrs. Davidson announced, “It’s everyone’s favorite time of year: project time.”

The way she delivered this news in a flat voice was echoed in the groans of her students. Her next words elicited more moans of anguish and Phil was pretty sure he heard someone in the front burst into tears. 

“Everyone, please, find a partner.”

There was a mad scramble as everyone tried to pair off. The goal of finding a partner was to not be the last one out, because then you’d look weird. Phil was well acquainted with being the one person who was chosen last and had resigned himself to it, not even moving from his chair.

Everyone seemed to want to be partners with Dan. There was a line and everything of eager people shoving each other out of the way as they tried to get close. 

A sudden movement out of the corner of Phil’s eye caused him to turn in that direction. Dan had leaned over the space between their desks and was addressing Phil.

“Want to be partners?”

‘Yes’, ‘Always’, and ‘Have my babies’ flashed through Phil’s mind, but he just gave a small smile and said, “Sure.” His voice wobbled a bit, but it was clear. Nailed it.

“Cool.” said Dan before he pushed their desks together.

The teacher passed out a packet of worksheets for them to do and the room fell silent as people began to work.

Dan was quiet, his brow furrowed in concentration as he examined a problem. Phil had a little trouble focusing, too aware of the way the other boy was biting his bottom lip. 

“Do you understand the fourth problem?” Dan suddenly asked. 

Phil glanced at the paper. “Nope, not a clue.”

Dan grinned, “Nice to know we’re a winning combination, then.”

“No, no.” Phil scooted closer, determined to redeem himself and show Dan what a great choice of partner he’d made, “I’m sure we can figure this out together.”

“Alright.” said Dan, “Are you busy tonight?”

Phil’s heart started doing somersaults. “No, why?”

“Maybe we can get together and work it out.” Dan shrugged, “Only if you want to.”

“No-I mean- yeah.” Phil quickly stammered out. “Where and what time?”

“I would say my room, but I’ve got a pretty loud roommate.” Dan said, “And my last class is at 4, so I’m free afterwards.”

“We can go to mine.” Phil said, “I don’t have a roommate this year, and does 4:30 sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.” Dan answered, smiling that blinding smile, which Phil returned. 

-

When Phil’s last class of the day got out, he immediately went to his dorm and started tidying. It was more complicated than he originally thought. He wanted the room to appear neat for Dan, but he started worrying that it would look too neat, making Dan suspicious.

He was right in the middle of wondering if he should leave a pile of laundry in the middle of the floor when there was a knock on his door.

Phil had never seen Dan outside of his school and football uniforms, so he almost didn’t recognize the casually dressed boy standing in the hall in jeans and a T-shirt. 

“Wow.” Dan said as he walked in. “This is nice. Does your TV work, because my roommate broke ours.”

After they got settled on the floor, their textbooks, calculators and pencils between them, they got down to work.

Dan, it turned out, was an incredibly easy person for Phil to talk to. Phil was used to awkward silences and internal panic as he tried to think of something not weird to say. However, when he slipped up around Dan and began talking about why there are no lemon-flavored milkshakes, the other boy let out a burst of laughter, rather than give him a funny look.

It felt weird, but he and Dan seemed to function on the exact same wavelength, getting into hot debates over stupid things and cracking jokes that would make the other person dissolve into giggles.

By the time 8 o’clock rolled around (which was hard to believe that four hours went by just like that), they had fallen into an easy banter and had gotten half the Trig packet done.

“Hey, come to the game this Friday.” Dan said as he was gathering his things. “We’re playing Oakenheath and I want you to be there to bring me luck.”

“Yeah, alright.” Phil said, refraining from telling Dan that he was going anyway just to stare at him.

“Try to get a seat in the front, next to the bench. That way I can see you.” 

Phil felt a swooping sensation in his gut and he suddenly felt extremely lighter. “Ok, I’ll try.”

“See you, Phil.”

After Phil closed the door, he fist-pumped in victory, not caring who saw it.


	2. Chapter 2

Phil’s nerves were buzzing when he got to the field on Friday. He, PJ, and PJ’s girlfriend, Sophie, got seats right next to the bench, as Dan requested. It was pretty crowded, as Oakenheath was probably Weston’s biggest rival and everyone had come to watch the two schools duke it out.

Normally, Phil would freak out as the wall of bodies pushed and pulled around him, but Dan spotted him after a quick scan and his wave had Phil riding a high that made everything around him zone out. 

At half-time, Dan got a water bottle and walked over to where Phil was sitting. A gaggle of girls that had gathered near where Phil’s group was sitting screamed and reached out to Dan. Dan merely nodded politely at them before walking by to where Phil leaned forward to talk to him through the metal bars that acted as a barrier between the field and the stadium seats.

“Hey, glad you made it!” Dan yelled over the noise. Even though he was covered head to toe in sweat, Phil thought he’d never seen someone so pretty. Dan’s eyes seemed to dance in the stadium lights as he smiled up at Phil.

“How are we looking, Phil?” Dan called.

Phil glanced up at the scoreboard. Weston was leading by three, but Oakenheath was known for bouncing back in the second half, according to the extensive research Phil had done to impress Dan.

“Pretty good, but watch their left guard. He’s been known to trip players.” Phil shouted.

Dan wiped off his forehead with the towel around his shoulders. “Got it. Thanks, Philly.”

The buzzer signaling the end of half-time sounded and Dan jogged back to the field. 

The second half of the game was tense, to say the least. Oakenheath managed to score three times, catching up with Weston. Dan had the ball and was moving up to field, dodging with the same grace and ease he displayed from the very beginning. Pretty soon, the only thing between the goal and him was the exact guy Phil had warned him about, who was muscling right up into Dan’s face.

Phil’s nails were digging into his face as he watched Dan weave back and forth, the Oakenheath player mirroring him exactly. Phil gasped as the player suddenly swung out his foot, aiming right for Dan’s calves. Dan jumped, avoiding the blow and ran like the wind past the player, who seemed taken aback that his malicious move hadn’t worked, and kicked. The ball went sailing into the air, past the Oakenheath goalie’s grasping hands and into the net, just as the buzzer for the end of game sounded.

The crowd went wild. People were screaming and cheering. Some even fainted. The roar continued as the crowd hopped the barrier and began overrun the field in celebration

Phil kept his eyes on Dan, who looked surprised, then happy as his teammates surrounded him and practically tackled him to the grass. Then, the throng spilling out from the stands was lifting him into the air to ride on their shoulders.

Phil couldn’t describe the well of pride in his stomach as he watched Dan celebrate. 

It took a while, but eventually the mass died down and people began to pack up and go home. Phil caught up with Dan as the boy was headed for the locker room.

“Congratulations, Dan!” Phil said sincerely, “That was great!”

Dan turned to Phil, beaming. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without you! You’re the one who gave me the tip!”

Phil felt heat rising in his cheeks. “Still, you’re the one that scored. You’re a hero now, you know?”

Dan laughed and shook his head. They got to the locker room, which had the team spilling out into the hallway.

“Oh, great.” Dan groaned. “These guys take forever in the showers and I want to clean off as soon as possible.”

Without realizing what he was doing, Phil found himself saying, “Well, you can shower in my room, if you want.”

“Really?” Dan asked hopefully, “I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all.” Phil proclaimed while his mind was screaming, asking him what he was doing while his heart was yelling encouragement.

“Alright.” Dan grinned.

The trek back to Phil’s dorm was filled with the usual easy banter. It was only when the door closed behind them that the air suddenly became tense.

“Um, Phil?” Dan asked with an edge of nervousness in his tone. “May I borrow some clothes from you? I left mine in the locker room and I kind of don’t want to put my sweaty uniform back on afterwards.”

“Yeah, sure.” Phil rummaged through his dresser and handed Dan some clothes without really looking at them. “Will these work?” 

There was a pause. 

“Absolutely.” Dan said and he went into the bathroom.

Phil spent the whole of Dan’s shower pacing, trying to calm his racing heart. His crush was naked and wet in Phil’s bathroom right now and was going to wear Phil’s clothes. 

He’s going to shower and leave, Phil told himself. It’s all going to be fine and nothing embarrassing is going to happen. 

When Dan stepped out of the bathroom, Phil quickly backpedaled on his last statement. Everything was not fine and something embarrassing was going to happen if Dan didn’t leave soon.

Dan was wearing one of Phil’s oversized sleep shirts and a pair of boxers. The top hung off his shoulder, exposing a tantalizing amount of smooth flesh that Phil wanted to explore with his tongue. His hair was dripping wet and had curled from the humid air and heat of the water. How anyone could look so adorable and sexy at the same time was beyond Phil.

Dan’s phone buzzed and he looked at it. “Oh, damn!”

“What’s wrong?” Phil asked. 

“I promised Alex I’d let him have the room tonight while he entertained a lady friend.” Dan pouted, staring at the carpet. “I meant to ask one of the guys if I could stay with them, but I forgot.”

No, no, bad Phil. Don’t say it. Don’t think it. Bad idea.

“Well, you can stay here.”

He said it.

Dan perked up, looking at Phil. “Really? Thanks so much!”

“No problem.” Phil replied. Yes, problem. He had a gorgeous boy in his room, dressed in his clothes, and he was inviting him to spend the night. If Phil didn’t know better, he’d say this was a porn scenario.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.” Dan said.

“No.” said Phil. He might be regretting all his decisions at this point, but he knew the importance of being a good host. “I’ll take the floor, you can have the bed.”

“I’m not going to force you on the floor, just because I forgot about my roommate.” Dan argued.

Phil shook his head. “And I’m not about to let the best player on the football team sleep on the floor and mess up his back.”

“Ok, how about we share the bed?” Dan suggested.

Phil raised an eyebrow. “You sure?” His bed was a single, made for really only one body at a time.

“Yeah.” said Dan as he climbed onto the bed. “I don’t mind platonically cuddling with my friends and I consider you a friend, so why not?”

Phil’s mind short-circuited because, holy shit, Dan Howell is in my bed, offering to cuddle, and, ah, he thinks of me as a friend. 

“Ok.” he mumbled. “Just let me brush my teeth.” He ducked into the bathroom and tried desperately to think things over. Dan had to be tired after that match. Maybe Phil could wait until he was asleep and take the floor like a proper gentleman. With that plan, Phil readied for bed and stepped out of the bathroom. 

He looked over at Dan, whose eyes were closed. Phil thought he was in the clear, so he made to lie down on the floor. 

“What are you doing?” Dan asked, definitely not asleep. “Come here.”

Cursing himself for being such a weak man for pretty boys, Phil walked over and got into bed with Dan. There was no point in staying at the other side of the bed, as there really was no other side, so Phil carefully arranged himself so his back was to Dan, the other boy somewhat draped over him and their legs entwined.

Slowly, Phil drifted off to Dan’s little snores and the feeling of his hot breath fanning across his neck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone reading and leaving such nice comments! I honestly didn't think it would have this kind of reception and now I think I have enough happiness to run for the next 100 years (or fics, whichever comes first)!

The next morning wasn’t as awkward as it should have been. Phil had woken up first, eased himself out of Dan’s grip, and showered. By the time he got out, Dan was sitting up in bed, scrolling on his phone. 

“Morning.” Dan grinned as he looked up. “Oh, wow.”

“What?” Phil said, feeling self-conscious as Dan’s smile melted into…something. Surprise? Shock? 

“Nothing.” Dan said quickly, pasting his usual smile back on. “I’ve just never seen you in glasses before.”

“Oh, yeah.” Phil subconsciously reached up and adjusted his frames. “I wear contacts usually. I can put them back in, if you want.”

“No, no.” Dan shook his head. “I actually really like them.”

“Really?” asked Phil.

“Yeah, they make you look…” Dan’s eyes shifted as he tried to find the right words, “…more mature.”

“Oh.” Phil answered. He wasn’t sure how to interpret that, so he decided to change the subject. “Want to go get breakfast?”

Dan agreed before asking if he could borrow a pair of pants.

-

Their relationship seemed to change after that. They began to hang out outside of Trig class and football games, either in one of the courtyards or Phil’s room.

Speaking of Phil’s room, he wasn’t even sure if he could call it his room anymore. After their impromptu sleepover, Dan had brought over a change of clothes ‘just in case’. Phil hadn’t minded, of course. The fact that Dan was willing to spend the night again thrilled Phil to no end, but he was kind of disappointed that he would never see Dan in his clothes again. 

Dan, it turns out, actually spent the night at Phil’s more often than not, usually citing his roommate or the noise for the reason why, like he needed a reason to stay.

Phil, personally, was living for it. He loved hanging out and cuddling with Dan, or just anything with Dan, really. The more Phil got to know the pretty lad, the more smitten he was. 

Not that being friends with Dan didn’t have its flaws. There always seemed to be someone waiting in the wings, ready to snatch Dan’s attention away, whether it was a fangirl or a teacher. Phil didn’t want to be selfish, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Dan’s attention at all times. In just a few short weeks, Dan had quickly become a focal in Phil’s life. Phil loved the way they clicked and played off each other’s momentum when talking. Even their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together. They sometimes woke up with one spooning the other or vice versa and Phil couldn’t help but notice how Dan’s face seemed to just fit in the crook of Phil’s neck or the way Dan’s large hands were perfectly sized to curl around Phil’s waist. 

-

One afternoon, Phil had answered a knock on his dorm room door. It was Dan, of course it was Dan, but he looked flustered and a bit panicked in the eyes.

“Phil!” Dan was panting like he had just run halfway across the campus. He bustled right past Phil and began pacing the ancient, stained rug in the middle of the floor. “What am I going to do?”

“What are you going to do about what?” Phil asked, closing the door and watching the other boy pace. He’d never seen Dan like this before, all frantic and frizzled.

Dan’s arms waved manically around. “They want to interview me, Phil, on TV! They have a whole camera crew coming down next week!”

“Wow, that’s great.” Phil said. 

“No!” Dan cried as he whirled around to face Phil, red-faced and close to tears. “I’m going to make an idiot of myself in front of thousands of people! I’m going to screw up, just like I always do!” He stopped mid-ramble, his bottom lip quivering.

Phil had no idea what to say, so he simply walked forwards and threw his arms around the trembling boy. Dan responded by reciprocating the gesture and burying his face into Phil’s shoulder. Moments later, Phil felt something wet soak into his shirt. Dan was crying.

They stood there for a few solid minutes. Phil may not know how to handle when someone’s sad, but he knew better than to tell a crying person to stop crying or cheer up. Instead, he let Dan wet his shirt and stroked the other boy’s back in, what he hoped was, a soothing manner.

Finally, Dan pulled away. Phil looked at him and realized that, even with a runny nose and tear-stained cheeks, Dan was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. 

“Sorry.” Dan mumbled, staring at the wet spots on Phil’s shirt and looking ashamed.

“It’s fine.” Phil said calmly. “It’ll dry, unless you secretly cry Vaseline, then it’ll never come out.”

Despite himself, Dan looked down and Phil heard a wet giggle.

“So, what’s this interview?” Phil asked as he went to the bathroom and got Dan some tissues. He then led the other boy to his bed to sit down.

“The national TV station wants to talk to me about Weston and the athletic program and my life here. Apparently, I’m their featured player in the football category this year.” Dan paused to honk into one of the tissues.

“Oh my god, congratulations.” said Phil sincerely. After accompanying Dan to one of his football practices to watch, he knew how hard Dan worked and pushed himself to be the best he could be and Phil was thrilled Dan was being recognized for that.

Dan nodded. “I would feel honored if I wasn’t so scared.”

“Of what?” Phil asked.

Dan shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t do well in social situations and always either run my mouth or be awkwardly silent the whole time. The thought of talking with someone while being broadcast though…” He shuddered.

“Well, I think you’ll do fine.” Phil said the first thing that came into his head and he winced at the empty words. He just said probably the most generic answer to someone’s worries ever and Dan didn’t deserve that. He deserved a well thought out solution to his anxiety. 

A lightbulb suddenly went off in Phil’s mind. 

“What if we practice for the interview?”

Dan just stared blankly at him and Phil rushed to explain.

“Well, in my TV production class, we try to copy the way the news interviews someone, with lighting and camera angles and whatnot. You could come in and do a little interview rehearsal, if you want. That way, you’ll know what to expect and not feel so anxious.”

Dan’s face split into one of his signature smiles. “I can do that?”

“Of course!” Phil exclaimed. “You’re the featured football player! You can do whatever you want!”

“Phil Lester, you’re a genius!” Dan squealed, pulling him into a hug. “Thank you!”

Phil’s heart fluttered in his chest as he hugged Dan back. “Let me text my TV teacher and see if she’ll let us do it.”

As it turned out, Phil’s teacher was all for it and the two of them spent the rest of the day trying to think up potential practice questions for the mock interview. Dan fell asleep on Phil’s shoulder, and Phil smiled, pulled the blankets over the both of them, and followed suit.


	4. Chapter 4

“So, let me get this straight.” PJ said as he and Phil were just tucking into their lunch. “He gets this mind-blowing, terrifying news and his first reaction was to run across campus to tell you?”

Phil paused as he went to take a bite of his sandwich. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess.”

The other boy blinked and raised an eyebrow. 

Phil shifted uncomfortably and got back to his food. Thankfully, PJ dropped the subject. 

“What time are we meeting for this practice interview?”

“Two o’clock.”

“Ok, I’ll be there.”

-

When Phil walked into the TV studio, Dan was already there, standing nervously against the wall. 

“Phil, I don’t know about this.” Dan said as the other boy approached. He watched as the nine-man crew flitted around the room, setting up cameras and adjusting the lights.

“Well, that’s why we’re here.” Phil said, taking note of Dan’s trembling hands. “Remember, I’ll be in the control room the entire time.”

Dan nodded and went to get his nose powdered. 

Phil entered the control room and the first thing he saw was Dan’s face filling the monitor. 

PJ, who was acting as director of this operation, turned to Phil and sent him a knowing look. Phil just scowled back and took his place at the sound controls.

“All right, everybody ready?” PJ asked into the microphone. When he got affirmations, he switched into director mode. “Stand by, quiet on the set.”

The crew worked beautifully. Dan stammered out the answers to the questions Louise, the interviewer, posed. At one point, Phil noticed the hood for camera two falling into frame. At PJ’s look, Phil got up and jogged quickly into the studio. 

“When did you first know you wanted to play football at Weston?” Louise was asking as Phil silently opened and shut the door and made his way to the camera.

“W-well, I-I looked at s-schools f-for a w-while.” Dan voice trembled violently. Phil winced in sympathy and started fixing the hood. “B-but I-I came to Weston and I realized what a good curriculum they had and the many opportunities they had to offer.”

“Hey, good job!” Louise said happily. “You didn’t seem nervous that time. What happened?”

“I don’t know.” said Dan. “I just saw Phil walk in and it just…happened.”

“Huh?” Phil asked, turning around as he heard his name. 

Louise just blinked and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

-

The day of the interview arrived. Dan and Phil woke up (together, as per usual), got breakfast and headed down to the football field. A crowd was beginning to form on the lawn and Phil saw a couple of news vans and a camera crew setting up. Just before they stepped into the grass, Dan pulled Phil aside. 

“Could you do me a favor?” the brown-haired boy asked, peering up at Phil.

“Anything-I mean, yeah.” Phil said quickly.

Dan looked down and fidgeted with his fingers. “Can you…stand behind the cameras, if you can? So I can see you.”

“Of course.” Phil patted Dan on the back. There was some shouting as the news people spotted Dan and hustled him over to mic him up. 

“Hey, you can’t be here. It’s a closed set.” someone said to Phil as he made to follow. 

Dan turned around. “Oh, he’s with me.”

Phil could only smile as his heart did a flip.

True to his word, Phil stayed behind the camera, in Dan’s line of sight. Dan answered all the questions as clearly and concisely as he could, even throwing in some flirting with the interviewer. Every now and then, he’d make eye contact with Phil and his dark eyes would get a little extra twinkle in them. 

“All right, Dan, last question.” the interviewer said as she looked down at her notes. “To what do you owe your success to?”

Dan’s brow furrowed as he thought. “Well, my family for one. They encouraged me a lot to get out of the house, although I don’t know if that was out of love or annoyance.” There was a pause as the film crew tittered. Dan continued. “I also owe a lot to my friends, especially one.”

Phil’s head snapped up, heart in his throat, to find Dan staring right at him.

“I refer to him as my good luck charm. He doesn’t know that, of course.” Dan laughed. “But, he’s always supportive and encouraging and he really inspires me to be the best version of myself I could possibly be. He means a lot, and I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

Phil could feel his eyes stinging as he began to well up at Dan’s declaration. He suddenly felt as if he was in a romantic comedy, and Dan was Julia Roberts in Notting Hill, standing (or rather, sitting) in front of a boy, asking him to love Dan.

The interviewer cooed and wrapped up, saying a farewell to the camera. As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, everyone broke into a mad scramble to pack up, and Phil lost sight of Dan in the turmoil. 

Deciding not to elbow everyone out of the way and potentially break a ten thousand dollar camera, Phil walked back to the stands to wait for Dan to find him. 

Suddenly, Dan was there, grinning sheepishly up at Phil. 

“So, how did I do?”

“Excellent.” Phil replied, grinning back. 

There was a silence. 

“So, good luck charm, huh?”

“Oh, shut up! Now I’ll never hear the end of this!”

Phil merely laughed, placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder as he led him back up to the school. It was a small gesture, yet it said so much. Phil knew how hard it was for Dan to talk about feelings and what he heard today was practically a love declaration and he squeezed Dan’s shoulder in gratitude. He knew he got the message across when Dan reached up a hand to brush against Phil’s and gave him a soft smile. 

-

Something changed in them after that. Granted, they hadn’t actually said they were into one another and wanted to date, but there was definitely a different kind of tension between them. Phil could only describe it like a Christmas present. He could see something wrapped up nice and pretty under the tree, but he could only open it at a certain time. 

Dan seemed to be hanging out a lot more, even more than before. He hardly went back to his own dorm and about 90% of his wardrobe was now living in Phil’s chest of drawers. 

-

The tension finally broke one night. They were getting ready for bed. Dan was brushing his teeth in the bathroom while Phil was reading the news on his phone.

“So, the coach wants to put me on this new diet.” Dan was calling from the bathroom as he gargled and spat in the sink. “It would cut all sweets and fatty foods completely out. I refused, because I can’t live without pizza.”

Phil gave a hum of acknowledgement. Dan exited the bathroom and climbed over the other boy to take his usual spot next to the wall. 

“Anything good?” Dan asked as he snuggled into Phil’s shoulder.

“Yeah, there’s supposed to be a giant thunderstorm tonight. The ‘Storm of the Century’ they’re calling it.” 

Phil put his phone down on the night stand to switched out the light. “Night, Danny.”

“Night, Phil.”

Phil was so tired, he didn’t hear the note of anxiety in Dan’s voice. By the time it registered, he was already on the edge of sleep and dropped off before he could think anymore.

-

Phil woke up as a loud crash of thunder echoed around the room. Checking the time, it was just past two o’clock. Now that he was awake, Phil could hear rain pounding on the roof and see lightening flash outside the window. 

There was another boom and Phil suddenly became aware of something sharp digging into his shoulders. He looked down and realized it was Dan, who was whimpering and curled up on his chest, looking so small and frightened as he grabbed at Phil. 

“Hey, hey.” Phil said, wrapping his arms protectively around Dan. “I’m here. It’s ok. I’m here.”

Another boom, accompanied by a white flash of lightening. Dan whimpered again. 

Against his better judgement, Phil rolled them over so he was on top of Dan and pulled the heavy blanket over their heads. “It’s ok. It’s ok.” He whispered over and over into Dan’s hair. “I’m here.”

He could just make out Dan’s outline under him and the boy was blinking up at him in surprise. Dan opened his mouth, about to say something, but another bout of thunder sent him tucking into Phil’s chest again. 

Phil did his best to comfort Dan, murmuring into his hair and stroking his arms. Granted, it might seem weird in hindsight, but Phil wasn’t thinking about that. All that mattered was Dan feeling safe. He resorted to spouting off strange animal facts and cracking corny jokes to made Dan giggle wetly.

“Phil, please. Distract me.” Dan whispered in the dark. 

“Trying,” said Phil, “Did you know that hippos produce pink milk?”

“No, like…” Dan trailed off and Phil felt him moving and his breath now fanning over Phil’s lips. 

A hard burst of thunder that had the whole building shaking sounded off. Dan made a surprised, terrified yelp and the next thing Phil knew, Dan had yanked him down, crashing their lips together. 

Time slowed. Fireworks seemed to burst in front of Phil’s eyes, which he didn’t know were opened or closed. The kiss was sloppy. Dan had missed most of Phil’s mouth, practically kissing his chin instead. All that didn’t matter, because Phil was kissing the angel of his dreams. He cupped Dan’s cheeks, guiding him into a more controlled kiss right on the lips. His head was spinning, because Dan was making mewling noises and licking up into his mouth and the air under the blankets was hot and stuffy and Dan’s lips tasted like candy and Phil didn’t want to stop. 

Dan’s hands, which had been roaming over Phil’s back, now dipped under his shirt and pulled him closer.

They had to break away for air, but their lips collided again a half-second later like they were each other’s oxygen. 

When they finally pulled away, they were breathing heavily. 

“Oh, distract you like that.” Phil said after a beat of silence. 

Dan giggled. “Sorry. It’s just… I’ve wanted to do that for a while and…it seemed like a good moment.”

“It wasn’t ‘good’, it was perfect. You’re perfect.” Phil retorted and they both laughed.

Another blast of thunder had Dan tightening his hold on Phil’s shoulders under his shirt.

“May I distract you again?” Phil asked softly.

Dan didn’t say anything back, just pulled Phil down on top of him again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! This was supposed to be a smutty chapter, but I just felt like writing goopy fluff, so I hope that's okay. Thanks to everyone who gave kudos and left a comment! You guys are such gems in the bedrock of society. Hopefully, this is the ending you guys have been waiting for.  
> Thanks again for reading and let me know if you like it!

The next morning saw Phil blinking awake and wondering if he had the most marvelous dream last night. This was proven to be false when he went to roll over and realized he couldn’t because Dan had his head on Phil’s chest, with one arm slung across his chest.

Jesus, Dan was pretty. As Phil looked down upon him, he took in his dark eyelashes that were fluttering somewhat as Dan dreamed and curly brown hair currently tickling the flesh of Phil’s chest. His mouth was partly open and he was drooling, but Phil decided that he could definitely get used to this being the first thing he saw every morning for the rest of his life.

His stomach gave an uneasy lurch as he had that thought. Last night, the darkness had made everything seem surreal and Dan was scared and needed to be distracted. Maybe kissing him was just a fluke, a means to an end and Dan will regret it?

“You know, your heart is beating way too fast for this early in the morning.” Dan’s sleep-laden voice rumbled out before the boy turned his head so his chin rested where his cheek had just been, staring up at Phil. “What’s up?”

Phil had his breath momentarily taken away by Dan, looking adorably sleep-rumbled, before he finally answered.

“I was wondering where we went from here?”

Dan gave a hum and reached up to brush hair out of Phil’s eyes. “Where do you want it to go?”

Phil bit his lip and looked down at his duvet pattern as he thought. “Well, I, um, really, really like you, not just as a friend, I mean. I would love to kiss you more, and take you on dates, and hold your hand, and wear your jersey to matches, and be yours.” Upon realizing he was rambling, he blushed and bit his tongue, looking away from Dan.

He suddenly felt a warm hand on his cheek, bringing Phil to face Dan again. The other boy was glowing in the morning sun, making him look young and bright. His pretty brown eyes twinkled as his face stretched into a grin. 

“I want all that too.” Dan said softly. 

Phil’s heart began to beat erratically, something which Dan felt as his other hand came up to cup the side of Phil’s neck. 

Unlike last night, Phil could now see Dan leaning towards him. This time, he could practically count each one of Dan’s eyelashes and see his head tilt slowly. He closed his eyes and, seconds later, he felt a softness brush his lips. 

It was short and sweet, just enough to assure the other that they were there. Phil suddenly had a vision of the future, of Dan leaving for work in the morning and them sharing a goodbye kiss just like that.   
Dan’s lips returned, pressing a firmer kiss with more pressure, and Phil found himself leaning into it. His arms wrapped around the boy on top of him and pulled him closer.

Phil’s stomach suddenly growled loudly, startling the pair of them apart. 

“Sorry.” Phil blushed, cursing himself for ruining the moment.

Dan cracked up. “No worries. Let’s go eat.”

-

When Dan and Phil walked into the dining room hand in hand, it felt like everyone was staring at them. Phil knew this probably wasn’t true. People may be giving them glances but other than that, no sign. Still, Phil felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck and a shiver ran down his spine. For the first time, Phil realized that this was _Dan_. The football hero of Weston, the one everyone wanted a piece of.   
But, now that he thought about it, no one else knew Dan like he did. Dan, who was insecure and procrastinated when he was scared of things. Dan, who was frightened of thunderstorms. Dan, who made a declaration of practically love for Phil on national television and who had kissed him last night and this morning. 

Phil smiled and wrapped an arm around Dan’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Dan looked over and grinned when he caught Phil’s eye.

“So…” PJ said as they sat down across from him, “What did I miss?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t read the paper today yet.” Phil said. He casually pulled a plate of toast towards himself. “Want one, babe?”

“Yes, please.” Dan answered happily as he passed the butter and jam to Phil.

“So, there’s nothing you want to tell me?” PJ raised an eyebrow.

“That jumper looks nice on you.” Dan said with an air of sincerity. Phil covered his snort of laughter by taking a gulp of milk.

PJ just scowled at them both. “Are you bloody together or not?” he hissed in frustration.

“I mean, we’re sitting together.” Phil pretended to look confused, enjoying this game. “I don’t know about being bloody, though. Dan, are you bleeding?”

“Not that I can tell.” Dan said, feeling himself up and down.

The banter continued for a few minutes, until finally, the three of them burst into wild laughter, probably frightening everyone eating breakfast.

-

“Phil…” Dan started.

“Huh?” Phil asked, snapping out of his dozing state.

It was a few weeks later, easily the best few weeks of Phil’s life. He and Dan went on a proper date every weekend. Today, they’d opted to take a short bus trip to the country and have a picnic atop a hill and cloud   
gaze.

Phil felt the blanket under him shift as Dan rolled over to face him. Phil did the same, their bodies mirroring each other.

“I think I’m in love with you.” Dan murmured.

Phil blinked and his heart began to race. The only thing he could think to say was: “You think?”

“Well, I’ve never been in love! How am I supposed to know what that feels like?” Dan huffed indignantly, rolling on his back to look up at the sky. 

Yikes, Phil screwed that one up. He scooted over quickly so his chest was pressed into Dan’s side.

“I’m sorry.” Phil said. “I just never thought someone like you could be in love with someone like me.”

Dan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Phil cast around, looking for the right words to say. “You’re perfect, Dan. Head-strong, creative, kind… And then there’s me.”

“Unique, extraordinary, nicer than nice…” Dan listed on his fingers.

“…and insecure out the wazoo.” Phil chuckled. “So, yeah.”

There was a silence, and then Dan was turning on his side to face Phil. 

“You’re an idiot if you think you deserve anything less than what you are, Phil Lester.” Dan’s eyes were somehow playful and serious at the same time. “I’ll remind you of that every day for the rest of our lives if I have to.”

“I wouldn’t mind that, because I love you too, Dan Howell.” Phil whispered, kissing Dan on the lips and happier than he'd ever been.


End file.
